Racism and the Criminal Justice System Webinar Set

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ATLANTA, Ga., Aug. 10, 2021 – Racial disparity in the U.S. criminal justice system is pervasive.  African Americans are more likely than white Americans to be arrested; once arrested, they are more likely to be convicted; and once convicted, and they are more likely to experience lengthy prison sentences. African-American adults are 5.9 times as likely to be incarcerated than whites and Hispanics are 3.1 times as likely.

Why is there such disparity?  Basically, the United States seems to be operating two criminal justice systems: one for wealthy people and another for poor people; and the poor people are most often people of color. 

"Racism and the Criminal Justice System" will be the focus of the next webinar co-sponsored by the Asian American Language Ministry Plan, the New Federation of Asian American United Methodists, and the General Board of Church and Society. 

The webinar will take place on Aug. 24 at 5 p.m. Pacific, 6 p.m. Mountain, 7 p.m. Central, and 8 p.m. Eastern. This panel will feature:

  • Raymond Magsaysay, author of "Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders and the Prison Industrial Complex";
  • Johnny Perez, director of U.S. Prisons Program at the National Religious Campaign Against Torture; and
  • the Rev. Dr. Michael Bowie, national executive director of Strengthening the Black Church for the 21st Century program.

"Racism and the Criminal Justice System" is the latest episode of a webinar series called "Raise Up Your Voice Against Racism."  The goal of the webinars is to create a safe space where Asian Americans and their allies are able to learn about and discuss racism.

The Rev. Neal Christie, executive minister of connected engagement of the Baltimore-Washington Annual Conference, said, “Asian Americans can be silent when racialized public policies are enacted, or racist behaviors practiced. Asian Americans are themselves frequent, silent targets of racist violence and scapegoating, heightened during the covid-19 pandemic. Can we center the voices of Asian Americans as anti-racist allies? What happens when we do? That is what this series is about.”

The Rev. John Oda, who directs the Asian American Language Ministry Plan, explained, “It’s critically important for everyone to understand that racism exists in the criminal justice system, from policing to sentencing. As United Methodists, we should also know that in the United Methodist Book of Resolutions, the church calls on government and society to 'stop criminalizing communities of color in the United States' by dismantling unjust, racist policies and practices, including racial profiling, mass incarceration and communal disenfranchisement. (Book of Resolutions, 3379)

Raymond Magsaysay is a first-generation Filipino-American scholar committed to building coalitions and social justice.  Raymond is on his final year of law school at the University of Pennsylvania. Before law school, Raymond taught courses on the impact of racial, gender, and class stereotypes in criminalization as a Fulbright Scholar and Adjunct Professor at IE University in Madrid, Spain. His most recent work, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) and the Prison Industrial Complex, is forthcoming in the Michigan Journal of Race & Law. Raymond's scholarship, informed by critical race theory and abolitionist frameworks, breaks ground not only by examining the understudied criminalization of AAPIs but also theorizing how AAPIs’ invisibility in both mainstream and critical understandings of crime furthers anti-Blackness and mass incarceration. Among Raymond’s professional experiences are placements at the Duthcess County Public Defender’s Office, the ACLU National Prison Project, Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, and the Civil Rights Division at the Department of Justice. He is a Harry S. Truman Scholar and holds an MA in teaching from the Universidad de Alcala de Henares and a BA in Sociology from Vassar College.  

Johnny Perez is director of U.S. Prison Program for the National Religious Campaign Against Torture, a membership organization committed to ending U.S.-sponsored torture, and cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment. Drawing on the wisdom of 13 years of direct involvement with the criminal justice system, Johnny also works to change unjust policies and practices in the criminal justice system through his participation as a newly appointed member of the New York Advisory Committee to the U. S. Civil Rights Commission. Johnny is also a member of the New York City Bar Association’s Correction and Reentry Committee and is on the board of directors of both Space on Ryder Farm and the Juvenile Law Center. Johnny is a sought-after speaker and has been invited to speak by Cornell Law School, Fordham University, Amnesty International, the United Nations, and various state, regional, and national conferences on topics including reentry, prison education, and solitary confinement. Johnny’s commentary has been published by The New York Times, The Washington Post, Ebony Magazine, USA Today , and the Wall Street Journal.  USA Today named Mr. Perez to the 2020 Leaders of Change  list that identifies people "with the ability to rise up and lead the nation through the chaos of today's civil rights fight."

The Rev. Dr. Michael L. Bowie, Jr. is the national executive director of Strengthening the Black Church for the 21st Century.  He was ordained an Elder in the Texas Annual Conference in 2000. Dr. Bowie has effectively led urban, cross-racial and large congregations throughout the connection. He is an innovative, visionary and passionate servant leader. Dr. Bowie, recently released a 100 Day of Action Plan with a focus on “The Black Church Matters” initiative. He echoes the sentiments of Dr. King, “the local church is still the Hope of the world.”  Please visit this link for more information and to register for the webinar: https://bit.ly/2GAYRhQ